Category: juvenile justice

This is a guest post by Ivonne Roman, a captain in the Newark (N.J.) Police Department. Declaring a juvenile curfew to keep troublemaking teenagers off the streets is a summer ritual in many American cities. This year Austin, Texas decided not to sound the alarm. “We looked at the evidence and decided it was time

Last week, My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Alliance at the Obama Foundation launched the MBK Network, a new learning community and support system for MBK leaders that will provide support, resources, and opportunities to build on local success and create lasting change. This week, the National League of Cities (NLC) is excited to announce our partnership

Whether you’re a newly elected official or an experienced hand, learning from fellow city leaders and building a best a practices toolkit is part of the job. And at the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) 2018 Summer Conference, best practices are the name of the game. Hosted in Hollywood, Florida, this July

As American as apple pie, “freedom” and “opportunity” are the ideals our country is supposed to represent — and that every city leader strives toward. But for too many young people today, opportunity is a promise unfulfilled, and their freedom to choose what to do, who to be, and how to live is only nominal.

When policies fail to align across city, county and state governments, impediments to the efficient protection of public safety are often the result. For example, state laws governing use of criminal records and background checks for support services can undercut and create barriers with local efforts to build service capacity for the young adult population.

This is a guest post from Emily Morgan, director of content development at the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center. As jurisdictions work to increase public safety and reduce corrections costs, a growing number have been exploring strategies targeted at improving outcomes for what is often the most challenging population under justice system supervision: young

Jail misuse and overuse have taken a heavy toll on our communities. They have become warehouses for people with mental health and substance abuse issues — rather than a place for those who pose a flight risk or threat to public safety. Local policy efforts and practices can contribute to the national movement to end mass incarceration.

This is a guest post by NLC’s Lydia Lawrence. In America, young people who are homeless or face housing instability experience arrest and detention much more often than other youth. As many as 78 percent of the estimated 400,000 homeless youth in America have had at least one interaction with police and 44 percent have

A new National League of Cities (NLC) report details how leadership in six cities furthered local juvenile justice reforms. The Annie E. Casey Foundation sponsored the report documenting the role of cities and mayors as new, powerful contributors to the national momentum toward developmentally appropriate reductions in the number of youth entering the juvenile justice

When it comes to reengaging disconnected youth with education and employment, three cities are reaching the same ambitious goals via different routes. This post was written by Christie Joesbury. As the saying goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” To create a roadmap and plot a clear course,